24th Annual Know Your Faith Diocesan Educational Conference

JOHNSTOWN, PA - His Eminence, Metropolitan Nicholas has announced today, that plans are underway for the 24th Annual Know Your Faith Diocesan Educational Conference which will take place on Saturday September 25, 2010

A cordial invitation is being extended to all who are interested in learning more about the Orthodox Faith, and especially priests and church school teachers to take part in a day of prayer, study, and spiritual reflection. The Ed Conference 2010 will be held in the Main Lodge of Camp Nazareth in Mercer, Pennsylvania on Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 9:00 am - 4:30pm. Be sure to allow some time in your schedule to be able to attend!

The facilitators of this year's conference will be Rev. Fr. Basil Aden and Rev. Deacon Stephen Hall. This year's conference is Growing Faithful Stewards! A Workshop For Teaching/Learning Stewardship in Your Parish.

At the 21st Council/Sobor, Metropolitan Nicholas established a Diocesan Stewardship Commission. With His Eminence’s blessing, the Commission is focusing its initial efforts on providing resources for Stewardship Education – for Diocesan workshops like this one, for the local parish, for the home and, most importantly, for the daily life of each of our diocesan faithful – resources to encourage Stewardship as ‘A WAY OF LIFE.’

So come to the 2010 Know Your Faith Educational Conference! The focus is teaching and learning Orthodox Christian Stewardship. The program is intended for everyone! It’s NOT just an EDUCATOR’S conference... It’s an EDUCATIONAL conference!

Registration

The Registration Fee per adult will be $15.00. This donation will help cover the cost of the luncheon and snacks, as well as other expenses incurred from the conference.

In order to allow the camp staff to prepare adequately for the conference, those who wish to attend are asked to contact Fr. Ken Bachofsky on or before Sunday, September 19, 2010. All that is needed at that time is a count of how many people will be attending. Participants may register and pay their fee on the day of the conference at the camp.

For additional information on the Educational Conference and to confirm your participation, please contact Fr. Ken Bachofsky at (330) 372-9778 or at otecken@yahoo.com

Directions to Camp Nazareth

339 Pew RoadMercer, PA 16137(724) 662-4840

From Pennsylvania Interstate 80, take exit 15 to US 19 north 2.5 miles to Mercer. Shortly past the domed county courthouse, bear left at the ‘Y’ onto PA 58 west for 6 miles to Pew Road at the Camp Nazareth sign. Go left onto Pew for 1 mile. Turn right at the ‘T.’ Welcome to Camp!

About the Facilitators

Father Basil Aden, is Pastor of Christ the Savior Orthodox Church of , Rockford, IL. As the OCA’s Mission Director for the Diocese of the Midwest, he supervised over a dozen missions and was the mission priest of St. Raphael Mission in Quincy, IL. Fr. Basil has a doctorate in practical theology from the U. of Chicago, has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in ChristianEducation, and has written stewardship materials that are in use nationwide. In addition to his pastoral duties he is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Rock Valley College in Rockford.

Fr. Deacon Stephen Hall is attached to St. Thomas the Apostle mission parish, Waldorf, MD. An Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Dn. Steve was a diocesan trustee from 1995 until his ordination to the diaconate in 2008. A founding member of our St. Thomas mission, he is a graduate of the U. of Maryland in physics and secondary education. He is a retired software engineer, and currently teaches catechism and marriage preparation courses in his parish